Steamed Bok Choy with Almond Veggie Rice

Our trips to the grocery store tend to be something akin to supermarket sweep. We run up and down the aisles, throwing in our standards, not looking at the shelves. I used to do it alone, and due to my love of good ingredients, the bills would sky rocket. Having an additional person with me, and a thrifty eater at that, made me question my pricey cheese purchases. Additionally, because we work and have Serafina, we tend to do the grocery shopping together after work, running down the clock before bed time. For this reason, I never really dally in the vegetable aisle, as you can tell by most of my recipes we have a standard list of purchases. Tonight, I had a special treat of going alone, a dangerous prospect, and I spent ten minutes looking at all the unusual veggies. I bought a few choice ones for future recipes, but also threw in one of my favorite foods, bok choy.

I love meals where fresh crunchy veggies are the main attraction, and especially when that includes bok choy. Bok choy is easy to prep, just cut off the ends and clean the leaves. It is best when it is slightly undercooked, where the stems are crunchy and the leaves tasty. I kept the meal healthy by adding an equal amount of vegetables and protein, while also limiting my serving of brown rice. Feel free to under-steam the veggies to add in more taste and crunch. The sauce base is hoisin, but is diluted with water and lime juice, with ginger added to spice it back up. Hoisin, which means seafood sauce, is made from sweet potatoes and has no meat or fish in it, however a vegetarian version is available. From what I found from my terrible internet research: although there is a vegetarian version of hoisin, it is not necessary for non-Buddhist vegetarians, because the distinction is associated with the inclusion of garlic which is considered a source of passion. Anyways, during your next supermarket sweep throw in some bok choy and enjoy a fresh meal.

Steamed Bok Choy with Almond Veggie Rice

1 cup of brown rice

2 1/4 cup of low sodium veggie broth

4 bunches of baby bok choy

3 carrots peeled and sliced

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup of firm tofu cut into one inch squares

1/4 cup of almond flour

1/4 cup of sliced almonds

2 tb hoisin sauce

juice from 1/2 a lime

1/4 cup of water

1/2 tsp minced ginger

green onions for garnish

1. Pour veggie broth and rice into a saucepan, let rise to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer until the rice is cooked. When it is done, fold in the almonds.

2. Place the sliced carrots in the steamer for 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, slice off the bottoms of the bok choy. Run the leaves under cold water, wiping away the dirt. Roll the tofu in the almond flour. Place the bok choy, peas, and tofu over the carrots in the steamer.

5. When the bok choy has slightly wilted, but not droopy (7 minutes) pick out the larger pieces with tongs and set aside (don’t sweat the smaller pieces of bok choy). Then take the rest of the veggies and mix them in with the rice.

6. Plate your veggie rice, and place the bok choy on top. Drizzle the sauce lightly on top and garnish with green onions.

Notice our nine-year old cat, Cleo, in the lower left corner plotting to jump on the counter.Ugh.